Q&A 52: Could Satellites With Lasers To Clear Debris Be Weapons Too? And More...
In this week's questions show, Fraser explains how space debris hunting satellites could also be used as weapons, why his green screen is always set to Endor, and ways to find nearby places for stargazing.
Q&A 52: Could Satellites With Lasers To Clear Debris Be Weapons Too? And More... (YouTube)
Comments (4)
Asked this question before, but I don't recall you answering it, so I'll ask again. If YOU were top dog, what would YOU choose to do first -- build an outpost/colony on the Moon, build one on Mars, construct a revolving space station where we could test, for extended periods, different G levels on the human body, or something else entirely? I'm old and increasingly risk averse, so I'd opt for the space station.
I'd probably go with the Nautilus-X concept attached to a space station to test out artificial gravity. Did you ever see my video on Capabilities Driven exploration? That's what I'd do. :-) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUfoL5eBkXY&list=PLbJ42wpShvml6Eg22WjWAR-6QUufHFh2v&t=0s&index=38" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUfoL5eBkXY&list=PLbJ42wpShvml6Eg22WjWAR-6QUufHFh2v&t=0s&index=38</a>
Fraser, I imagine that the time it takes for using a laser to de-orbit space degree depends on a host of factors such as the satellite's mass and its orbit, as well as the position and distance of the laser from the satellite. But, can you offer up any ballpark figures (like somewhere between X hours and Y hours [or days, as the case may be]. with most of the satellites taking Z hours)?
The laser would fire about 20 pulses a second and vaporize tiny chunks as it goes by. I don't know exactly how much of its orbit this would shave off, but every little bit helps.